Tourist accommodation · Advertising
It is the most common breach, and the one you can spot on a listing in three seconds.
The operator's obligation
Section 9 of the Regulation: the operator of a tourist accommodation establishment "must clearly indicate the registration number and, if applicable, the name of the establishment in any advertising used to promote the establishment, and on any website, whether transactional or non-transactional, used in connection with the operation of the establishment", and on any social media.
The same section adds two obligations. The operator must:
- "display the registration certificate of the tourist accommodation establishment in full view of the tourism clientele at the main entrance to the establishment"; and
- send the registration certificate to the digital platform through which the accommodation offering is disseminated.
Verbal advertising, and advertising covering several establishments, may instead carry a mention that the establishments are registered in accordance with the Act.
The platform's obligation
Section 20.1 of the Act: a person operating a digital accommodation platform may not disseminate an offering "that does not contain the establishment's registration number or the expiry date of the certificate", and may not "enable the entering into of a rental contract for accommodation purposes for a stay of less than 32 days in a tourist accommodation establishment that is not registered in accordance with this Act or whose registration is expired, suspended or cancelled".
Section 20.2: the platform must ensure that the registration number and expiry date shown concern the establishment the offering relates to, and that the registration is in force. The verification is made using the registration certificate.
What the certificate contains
The certificate bears the Minister's signature and contains the registration number, the address and class of the establishment, the number of accommodation units offered for rent, the issue and expiry dates, and where applicable the name of the establishment.
An expired number is a separate offence
The Act specifically targets anyone who enters in an offering or advertising "a registration number for that establishment that is false or inaccurate or such a registration number although the establishment's registration is expired, suspended or cancelled". That carries a fine of $2,500 to $25,000 for a natural person.
The check a serious buyer makes
Take the number shown in the listing and the expiry date. Compare them with the certificate. If the listing shows no number, or the date has passed, you are not looking at a short-term rental business. You are looking at regulatory risk presented as income.
Where this lands: before the offer
Short-term rental is the one residential use that depends at once on a provincial statute, a municipal by-law, a declaration of co-ownership and two tax administrations. Any one of those layers can make the plan impossible or unprofitable on its own.
That is why we check all four before a client makes an offer on a property bought to rent by the night. A yield presented on nightly rates, without the zoning, the declaration and the registration, is not a yield. It is an assumption.
Three habits
- Check the address, not the city. Rules change from zone to zone inside one municipality.
- Ask for the registration certificate, not the number. The certificate carries the expiry date, the class and the number of units.
- Remember the registration cannot be transferred. The seller's income was earned under their file, not yours.
Related
Frequently asked
Where must the registration number appear?
In any advertising, on any social media and on any website, transactional or not, used in connection with the operation.
Do platforms have obligations?
Yes. They may not disseminate an offering without the number and expiry date, and must ensure the registration is in force.
Is showing an expired number an offence?
Yes, a separate one, carrying a fine of $2,500 to $25,000 for a natural person.
Sources, consulted 13 September 2026: the Tourist Accommodation Act (CQLR, chapter H-1.01) and the Tourist Accommodation Regulation (chapter H-1.01, r. 1) on legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca, consolidated text current to 15 April 2026; announcements by the Quebec Department of Tourism published on quebec.ca for the amendments of 9 April and 1 September 2026; Canada Revenue Agency guide T4036. This page informs; it is neither legal nor tax advice, and municipal rules vary from one address to the next.
Published by the Loaa & Manseur team, number one team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025. Tell us about your project.